This piece by Thom Hartmann speaks to the critical importance that we individually and collectively open to courageously embracing the shadow work that impacts and is needed by us all. Without doing this work, we will inevitably continue to repeat our the dark choices of our culture rather than learn from them and move to effectively and deeply create a nation and world that works for all.
Peace & justice for all ~ Molly
George W. Bush, international war criminal, admits torture
George W. Bush's very casual comment on Wednesday that he had tortured Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and would do it again, has some former military and intelligence officials concerned that the former president doesn't realize the gravity of what he is admitting. Retired Brigadier General David R. Irvine, a former strategic intelligence officer who taught prisoner of war interrogation and military law for 18 years, says Waterboarding is, "unequivocably torture." He added, "As a nation, we have historically prosecuted it as such, going back to the time of the Spanish-American War. Moreover, it cannot be demonstrated that any use of waterboarding by U.S. personnel in recent years has saved a single American life." According to most reports, Khalid Sheik Mohammed had been highly cooperative and provided excellent intelligence initially, but then clammed up when they began waterboarding him to try to force him to say that there was an association between 9-11 and Saddam Hussein. Additionally, the Bush/Cheney/Bybee/Yoo policy of torturing prisoners of war has placed as-yet-unborn future generations of American soldiers who may be taken prisoner at great risk, as other nations will point to our having used torture to justify their own use of it against our soldiers. Torture historically has been used only for a single purpose - to get people to say what the torturers want them to say, regardless of whether its true or not. This is why the communist dictatorship of China announced earlier in the week that they will no longer criminally prosecute people based on confessions obtained by torture, because so many of the confessions are false. China gets it, the military gets it, but George W. Bush is still clueless. And still an international war criminal.
-Thom
-Thom
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Who are these people who want to undermine the middle class? They often call themselves 'conservatives,' but these people are not true conservatives. They don't want to 'conserve' or protect the America the Founders gave us. I call them 'cons' because they are conning America. My dad was a staunch Republican all his life, but he didn't believe that a small elite should rule America. He was glad the government provided safety nets like Social Security and Medicare and made unionization possible. My dad, and most other real conservatives I have known, believed in the middle class and believed in democracy.... The battle we face in America today is not between liberal and conservative... The battle we face today is between those of us who want to protect our democratic heritage and the cons who want to create an America that benefits only a small elite organized around corporate power and inherited wealth.
~ Thom Hartmann
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